Poland prioritises domestic arms purchases under EU SAFE programme

By Barbara ‌Erling

WARSAW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Poland is prioritising the reinforcement of its own ‍army ‌over joint European purchases under the European Union's SAFE programme, with most ⁠funds set to go to domestic ‌firms, a Polish official said.

The Security Action for Europe initiative aims to strengthen the EU's defence industry through a 150  billion euro ($163.5 billion) low-interest loan programme to help member ⁠states in defence procurement.

Poland has emerged as the leading beneficiary of the programme, which Warsaw views ​as a "major impulse" for its domestic arms industry.

"First ‌and foremost we are rearming ourselves, ⁠and only secondly do we focus on joint procurement," said Magdalena Sobkowiak‑Czarnecka, the Polish government official responsible for the SAFE programme. 

She said that ​while around 65% of all projects submitted for SAFE funding across the EU are joint‑procurement initiatives, Poland's submissions show the opposite.

More than 100 of the 139 projects it filed were single‑procurement plans aimed at rapid rearmament and ​would ‍channel most of its ​SAFE allocation into the domestic defence industry.

No breakdown of spending has been released. Officials say a large share of the funding is likely to be directed toward air and missile defences, artillery, ammunition, drones and counter‑drone systems.

She said that the government also intends to intensify promotion of Polish defence products abroad ⁠to help domestic manufacturers expand export markets.

"We want to bring the Polish defence industry abroad and use government ​instruments on a large scale to support its promotion," she said, adding that interest in Polish capabilities often emerges after meetings with European and NATO partners.

She pointed to the Piorun man‑portable air‑defence system, ‌the Gladius strike system and Warmate loitering munitions as among the top products Poland aims to market internationally.

(Reporting by Barbara Erling; Editing by Sharon Singleton)